Expert: Pat G - 10/30/2010

Question
i had an abortion a week ago and i had sex on the 5th day after the abortion then the next morning i was vomiting now i am worried do i have an infection  

Answer
Hello, kim,

Nobody is going to be able to tell you over the internet whether you have an infection or not. That said, sex that soon after an abortion does greatly increase the chance of getting an infection. But the chance of getting an infection is very high anyway. Many abortionists in the United States do not sterilize their instruments properly, if at all, or re-use disposable instruments. This means a woman can get a sexually transmitted disease, including HIV, from a previous client. And a woman will be more susceptible to a sexually transmitted disease from her partner because the surface of the uterus is raw and this makes the woman's blood open to the outside world. And a lot of men don't tell their partners they have had sex with other women (or men). A woman can also get toxic shock syndrome from taking abortion pills vaginally. So there are all kinds of reasons why you are at risk.

Sometimes the abortionist will give a woman antibiotics to try to prevent infection, but antibiotics only work against bacteria. That still leaves the possibility of infections from viruses or fungus. Antibiotics can weaken a woman's immune system by interfering with the health of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. A person who is taking antibiotics should also be taking pro-biotics. And if you have had a flu shot, you are more likely to get flu because that also weakens a person's immune system. Flu shots usually contain at least one poisonous substance, such as thimerasol, which contains mercury. When I had flu shots, I would get several strep throats a year. I haven't had one strep throat in the decades since I stopped getting flu shots.

Vomiting the day after sex doesn't sound like the results of an infection from the sex. Infections don't develop that rapidly. You could have the flu, or you could be reacting to the abortion itself. It could be caused by the physical internal movement from the sex. How are you doing today?

If you had a surgical abortion, you need to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases anyway. HIV probably won't be testable for awhile, but others will. If you had a pill abortion and used any pills in your vagina, you need to be tested for Clostridium sordellii. If you have these normally benign bacteria in your body, they should start life-saving treatment immediately, since once you develop symptoms, you will be dead within hours and it is unlikely they can save you.

Your partner also shouldn't be putting you at risk like this. You deserve better. You have already had one abortion, which can cause untold long term damage, and here he is, putting you at risk again. Does he really care about you, or is he just using you as a sexual plaything, and telling you what you want to hear? You need to have a talk with him. If he isn't willing to cherish and protect you from the possibility of another abortion, you are better off without him, as painful as that might be emotionally.

If you have never had a child, you are now at much greater risk of getting triple negative breast cancer. This kills 1/4 of its victims. To help prevent this, I recommend a daily dose of Vitamin D3, about 5000IU a day.  You will need to have your blood tested to make sure you're not getting too much. Also, there are a number of foods and anti-oxidants that can help prevent breast cancer. If you would like a list, let me know.

If you had a surgical abortion, this also poses a significant risk to your future children. The major ones are miscarriage, or very early birth. Very early birth is a leading cause of cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mental retardation, autism, blindness, and deafness. When you do become pregnant again (if the abortion didn't make you sterile), you need to tell your doctor you had an abortion so he can do some prevention to keep this from happening. The procedure is called cerclage, and involves fastening the cervix shut so it can carry the weight of a full term baby. Abortion causes a lot of damage to the cervix. You will also need to be much more vigilant about the possibility of tubal pregnancy.

Please take care of yourself, and make sure that you never take that kind of risk again. Let me know how you do. I will be here for you.